GTV Secures Rights For English Premiership

A new African pay-TV service GTV has secured broadcast rights to English Premiership football matches in 48 sub-Saharan African countries and also announced the raising of US$40 million to finance the roll out of their channel.

GS Telecom provides services in 27 African countries, with a major presence in Nigeria, the fastest growing communications market in Africa over the last five years.

GTV will be Africa's second pay-TV service, and show live broadcasts of 80 percent of Premiership games.

The three-year, multi-million dollar deal will begin in August for the 2007-08 Premiership season, while GTV will be available across the continent, but will launch initially in East Africa later this month.

Julian McIntyre, president of Gateway Broadcasting Services Ltd, said: “The continent currently represents the least penetrated pay-TV market in the world, and there is huge appetite for the premium news, sport and entertainment that pay-TV offers.

“Monopoly pricing and programming with no relevance to viewers' lives has put pay-TV out of reach of most television-owning households. GTV is committed to providing African viewers with the service they want at a price they can afford.

“Millions of Africans want to watch the Premiership at affordable prices and we are delighted to launching a new service which will deliver this to them as well as quality news and entertainment.”